Binder



Dec. 9, 1952 15. a. 0555 arm. I 2,620,802

ne 1, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET a Dec. 9, 1952 H. 5. MOBEE HA 2,620,802

I BINDER Filed June 1, 1950 2 s'i-mE'rs -sx-ms'r k INVENTOR! #44 9) 8. Ma!!! 54 9954 .9225) BY i Patented Dec. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE BINDER Application June 1, 1950, Serial No. 165,446

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to binders and is particularly concerned with hinged loose leaf binders in which perforated sheets or leaves are assembled upon prongs carried by relatively hinged portions, the arrangement being such that with the hinged portions in normally closed position the interrelation of the prongs retains the leaves within the binding, and upon relative pivotal movement of such portions to open position, the prongs are moved therewith to permit withdrawal or insertion of the sheets or leaves.

Loose leaf binders of the general characteristic referred to have long been in common and accepted use. A wide variety of hinged structures have been proposed and used and innumerable types of hinge locking assemblies and releasing means have been proposed. Many of the hinge constructions, locking assemblies and releasing means have been both effective and efficient and have achieved considerable commercial success. Such devices, however, for the most part have been complicated and involved a multiplicity of parts requiring intricate fabricating operations, and as such have not been economical in manufacture. Hinge structures have required separate hinge elements welded, riveted or otherwise secured to large and intricate metal backing members which are heavy, cumbersome and expensive. In many instances the locking assemblies have been cumbersome and involved, while the releasing means have been fragile, diflicult to manage and have required unreasonable force frequently applied in a direction contrary to the direction of opening movement of the parts.

In view of the foregoing, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a simple, novel and improved loose leaf binder involving a minimum number of parts and a maximum simplicity in construction and operation.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a binder of the character set forth requiring a minimum use of metal in its construction and hence being well designed to meet the demands of economic manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hinge structure for a binder of the character set forth involving the simple direct pivotal connection of hinge elements carrying rigidly secured leaf receiving elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, novel and improved looking assembly for the hinged elements of a binder of the character set forth, in which the hinged elements themselves form part of the locking assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a releasing means for the lock assembly of a loose leaf binder which is of simple one-piece construction readily operable, and which may be actuated for releasing movement by a force in hinge opening direction, so that such means may be utilized both for lock releasing and for actuation of the hinged parts upon release.

Numerous other objects and features of the present invention by which there is provided a binder construction of unusual structural and operational simplicity and one representing a material advance in economic manufacture will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a binder formed in accordance with the present invention showing the hinge construction thereof in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the lower hinge of the binder shown in the closed position of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a perspective view of the binder with the hinge in opened position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a bottom plan view of the lower hinge in opened position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on lines 5--5 of Fig. 2, showing a detail of the locking mechanism and releasing means of the hinge structure.

In general, the present inventive concept may be termed as involving a binder having front and back cover members preferably of rigid material, each of which is united by pairs of parallel, flexibly, joined intermediate members to a rigid back member representing the width of the binder when closed. Rigidly secured to parallel intermediate members at either side of the back are rigid, preferably metallic, hinge members provided with leaf impaling prongs. The opposite ends of each hinge member are turned inwardly and secured to the companion member of the opposite element by a simple pivoted connection. The arrangement is such that the necessity for separately attached hinged elements for such members is avoided. The arrangement further provides for a full exposure of the rigid central portion of the back to which may be applied labels or other indicia. Another feature of this construction is that it provides a device in which all of the leaves impaled upon the prongs are free to move with the prongs and with the hinge member to which the prongs are attached without interference by any centrally disposed hinge member extending longitudinally of the back.

The invention further provides for a securement of the inter-related ends of the hinge elements by a simple spring element which is mounted for movement through a slot in one of the hinge ends and into securing relation with a notch of the companion element. One of the features of the invention is the fact that the simple spring securing means may be attached with the pivotal member between the ends in order to avoid the necessity of a separate attaching construction for said element. Another feature of the operation of the catch mechanism is that in releasing the mechanism the thrust on the catch is in the direction to produce a hinging movement between the parts upon release of the catch member, and thus the structure is such that the locking means may be utilized as an operating means for the hinge members as well as a release for the securement of the hinge members in closed relation with the prongs thereof interdigitated.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the front and rear cover members are indicated by the numerals It} and II, respectively.

The front and back are preferably formed of relatively stiif material as in conventional fashion and are preferably of an area somewhat in excess of the size of the sheets which are to be placed within the binder. The back of the binder comprises a central rigid back section I-2 of a width equal to the maximum width of the binder when closed together with pairs of intermediate side sections, including first intermediate side sections I3 and M hingedly connected to the back section l2 and second intermediate side sections I5 and I6 hingedly connected to the front IE1 and back II, respectively. Vfhile the front cover I0, rear cover II, back I2 and intermediate side members I3, I4, I5 and I6 are relatively stiff preferably being formed by rigid members encased within flexible inner and outer binding material as at I! (see Figs. 2 and 4) their adjacent edges are flexibly joined through the medium of the binder material I1. flexibly joined to the first intermediate side sections I3 and M as indicated at It. Side sections I3 and M are flexibly joined with side sections I5 and I6 as indicated at I9, and the front and rear covers are flexibly joined to the second intermediate side sections as indicated at 29.

By this construction of the binder it will be noted, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that in closed position the intermediate side sections 1 3 and I5 lie in the same plane while intermediate side sections I4 and 15 he in a common plane parallel thereto. It will also be seen that the planes of the intermediate side sections are coextensive with the planes of the front and rear covers when the binder is closed. Thus, when the binder is in closed position, the intermediate sections are normal to the plane of the back 12. When the binder is in fully open position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the intermediate sections I3 and I5 and I4 and Iii are folded inwardly upon themselves in such manner that the outer edge of the second intermediate sections I5 and IE to which the front and back are joined approaches the side edges of the back I2, and in so doing, the prongs Thus, the back I2 is are moved from inter-digitated relation in a manner hereinafter to be discussed.

Secured to each of the second intermediate sections I5 and 8 there is provided a prong carrying hinge forming and reenforcing bracket identified, in general, by the numerals 2| and 22 respectively. Each bracket includes a body section 23 which is secured by rivets or equivalent securing means 24 along its outer edge to the outer edge of its intermediate section adjacent the flexible connection 20 thereof with its cover member. The body 23 of the brackets extends inwardly from its attached intermediate section and is of a width substantially equal to the combined'width of the first and second intermediate sections when extended. As will be seen in Fig. 1, when the device is in closed position, the body 23 of the brackets constitutes rigid, outward, side extensions of the back I2, bridging the flexible connection between the first and second intermediate sections.

Adjacent the outer secured edges of the body sections 23, leaf receiving prongs 25 are provided, the prongs being of conventional arcuate formation and are here shown as extending inwardly to a point closely approaching the opposite bracket when the device is in closed position. The hinged relation-of the parts is such that, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the full hinged movement of the device provides for complete separation of the inter-digitation of the prongs so as to permit easy insertion or removal of leaves from impalement thereon. While the prongs herein disclosed are shown as a'rcuate and of a length such as to approach the opposite bracket when it is in closed position, and while such prongs are shown as spaced, the prongs of one bracket are out of registration with the companion prongs of the opposite bracket. It will, of course, be understood that the invention is not concerned with the type and arrangement of prongs or equivalent means used for securing the leaves within the binder. If desired, ring structures may be formed by providing the prongs of one bracket in registration with the prongs of the other bracket. In such instance the prongs are formed substantially semi-circular so that in closed position the ends of the prongs abut to form a closed ring which is opened for the insertion and removal of leaves when the brackets are hingedly moved. Various other types of leaf securing means may be employed without departing from the present inventive concept.

The body 23 of each bracket member is of a length commensurate with the height of sheets to be mounted within the binder, such length being such as to exceed the height of such sheets so as to provide an adequate spacing of the top and bottom edges of such sheets from the ends of the body members 23. At each end of each body 23 there is provided an inwardly turned end member which lies in a plane normal to the plane of its body 23. The ends are preferably formed with their inner sides coextensive with the inner edge of the bodies 23. However the ends are preferably formed of a width less than the width of the bodies 23 so that their top edges are substantially below the outer edge of the bodies, when the device is in closed position. The end members extend inwardly from the bodies 23 to an extent substantially greater than the width of the back I2 so that such ends are in overlapping relation with the companion ends of the opposite bracket. The upper and lower end members of the bracket 2! are identified by the numerals 26 and 21, respectively, while the companion ends of bracket 22 are identified by the numerals 28 and 29.

Adjacent the lower edge of the ends and centrally of the back member I 2, the upper and lower companion pairs of ends are joined by pivotal rivets, or the equivalent, indicated at 30 and 3|, respectively. This arrangement pro vides for pivotal movement between the brackets whereupon the outer second intermediate sections i5 and I6 will move with the brackets and interfold against the first intermediate sections I3 and M as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Such pivotal movement will act to separate the prongs 25 to permit insertion and removal of the leaves. It will also be noted that such pivotal movement is independent of the movement of the covers which are at all times freely movable with respect to the sections 14 and it regardless of the relative position of the sections [4 and H5 or of the brackets 2i and 22.

For retaining the brackets in their hingedly closed position, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, at least one interfitting pair of end members, here shown as the lower members 21 and 29, is provided with a locking assembly. This construction includes a notch 32 formed in the top edge of the end member 29, which member is also formed with an arcuate end surface 33. C0- operating with the notch 32 there is formed in the companion end member 21 a vertical slot 34 which, when the brackets are in closed position, registers with the notch 32. Extending through the slot 3 6 there is provided a spring latch generally indicated as 35 which comprises a resilient wire having an inwardly extending return bent portion 35 and an outwardly bent end 31 which is preferably secured to the pivot member 3| joining the ends 2? and 29. The pivot member 3| thus constitutes the sole mounting for the latch 35. The upper shank 38 of the latch 35 is, therefore, resiliently mounted from the return bent portion 35. The shank 38 extends through the slot 3 4 terminating exteriorly thereof in a simple loop 39 constituting an operating handle. It will thus be seen that the return bent portion of the latch 35 is such as to bias the shank 38 in a downward direction in the slot 34 and with respect to the upper edges of the members .21 and 29.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in normal position with the hinge members closed, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer end of the shank 38 will be spring-biased downwardly into the notch 32. The shank 33 will therefore act to lock the members 2'! and 29 in their closed position. When it is desired to release the members 21 and 29 to permit hinged movement to open the binder for the insertion or removal of leaves, an upper pressure is applied to the extremity 39, thus moving it against biasing tension of its return bent portion to lift it from the notch 32. In such raised position the end members are free to pivot and the biasing tension is borne against the arcuate surface 33. After such release of the end members, the binder may be readily moved by hinged movement between the brackets to the fully open and extended position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When the device is again to be closed, a reverse hinged movement is imparted to the brackets, and as such hinged movement proceeds to fully closed position, the shank 38 rides over the surface 33 and is finally brought into registration with the notch 32 and its biasing tension, then causes the shank to drop into the notch and again secure the hinge members in closed position! It will thus be seen that by a simple upward manipulation of the end 38 of the latching member the hinged members may be released for opening movement thereof. An important feature of the present invention resides in the fact that releasing motion imparted to the shank is by upward pressure on the end thereof. At the end of such upper movement the shank will bear against the upper closed end of the slot, and since in such position the notch is released, further upper pressure carries with it the end 29, thus causing it to move upwardly and thus imparting an opening movement to the binder.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present construction provides an extremely simple, eflicient and efiective hinge arrangement for a binder and provides such a structure with a minimum number of parts, and requires the use of a minimum amount of rigid material, which is usually metal, and which usually constitutes a substantial portion of the material cost of the binder. It will further be noted that the present structure is of such simple construction as to minimize manufacturing and assembly costs and that it involves no extra fixtures to be attached to the base hinge members. It will be further noted that the hinged relation between the parts is a simple and economical arrangement and that the latching means is constituted by a single, simple return bent, resilient Wire, a notch and slot of the inter-engaging end members cooperating therewith in providing a readily releasable eifective latching means. It will also be noted that in the actuation of the latching means for release of the hinge members the force applied thereto is a force which acts to hingedly move the members as distinct from many prior structures in which the unlatching force is in opposite direction to the force required for opening the binder.

In considering the foregoing description it will, of course, be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact structural details herein set forth but that the invention may be practiced by the use of various substitutions, modifications and the full use of equivalents without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

A loose leaf binder of the character described comprising a rigid back section having a width substantially equal to the maximum width of the binder when in the closed position, a pair of cover sections, each cover section being articulately connected to the back section by means of a hinge section, each of said hinge sections comprising a first rigid member articulately connected to the associated back section and a second rigid member articulately connected to the associated first rigid member and to the associated cover section, a pair of brackets each having a body portion and a pair of end portions, the end portions being normal to the plane of the body portion and said brackets being pivotally connected to one another at their end portions, the body portion of said brackets having a width substantially equal to the width of a complete hinge section and each bracket being secured by the outer margin of its body portion to the second rigid member of the associated hinge 7 section so that the inner margin of their body UNITED STATES PATENTS portions pivot inwardly toward one another and Number Name Date the first and second rigid member of the hinge 697,571 Trusseu Apt 15 1902 sections fold inwardly upon one another as the 700,383 Trussen May 20, 1902 binder is moved to its open position. 5 373,417 Dawson 10 1907 HARRY MCBEE- 1,362,951 McBee Dec. 21, 1920 DARRELL R. SELBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent: 

